Good evening and welcome to the inaugural Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Hospitality Symposium.
My name is Bianca Hrovat, and I’m the Sydney food reporter, on deck to guide you through our first Good Food Hospitality Symposium, presented by Lightspeed.
Tonight, a group of industry leaders will gather at Machine Hall Precinct to tackle the greatest challenge facing hospitality businesses in 2024: the cost of living crisis.
Our panellists for tonight (from left): Palisa Anderson, Huss Rachin, Rebecca Fanning, Allesandro Pavoni and Patrick Ryan-Parker.
How are rising costs and lower consumer spending affecting your favourite cafes, bars and restaurants? Why are so many closing down? And what can they do to survive during this economic downturn? Follow along to find out.
What is the Good Food Hospitality Symposium?
The Symposium is a free, ticketed event bringing the hospitality community together for a solutions-focused panel discussion led by Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide editor Callan Boys.
It’s part of a new, ongoing Good Food initiative, developed in response to the daunting number of cafe, bar and restaurant closures this year. We’ve covered many of them, from the high end (like hatted Potts Point restaurant Raja) to the low key (like Josh Niland’s Rose Bay takeaway shop Charcoal Fish), but it was the story of Annandale cafe Cornersmith that really struck a chord with readers.
When co-owner Alex Elliott-Howery told Good Food, “hospitality is a bit broken”, ahead of Cornersmith’s March closure, it paved the way for other business owners to speak up, show solidarity, and share their own struggle.
“They felt just like we did: that they were the only losers who couldn’t figure it out, that the margins are getting tighter, and it’s so hard to make it work,” said Elliott-Howery.
The overwhelming response made it clear: “The industry is desperate to talk about these issues, and now,” said head of Good Food, Sarah Norris.
What can we expect?
At the first panel discussion, a group of four leading chefs and restaurateurs will talk strategy: What’s working, what isn’t, and where to go from here. Surcharges, big hospitality groups and wages are among the topics set for discussion, before we turn it over to the audience for questions.
This event sold out quickly, so we’re bringing you all the details live when questions kick off at 6pm.